Only use electrical appliances while at home, Bucks Fire Service warns

Monday, 29 November 2021 07:00

By Sam Dean

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service has released a safety message warning people against setting appliances to run while they are out or in bed.

The statement comes following last week’s Electrical Fire Safety Week 2021 to help others reduce the risk of undetected electrical fires breaking out in their homes.

Joanne Cook, Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager, said: “Although fires originating from electrical appliances in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes are in line with the national average, the number of daytime incidents peak between 4pm and 5pm when a greater number of household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers, are in use.

“However, we are also aware that sometimes people set these sorts of electrical appliances to operate overnight, or leave them on while they are out. If an incident occurs in these situations, it can take longer to be noticed, and in the worst cases the effects can be devastating for residents and homeowners.

“When we looked at our incident data for fires involving electrical items where the fire has spread beyond the appliance, the most common time period was between 10pm and midnight, possibly where people have set their household appliances to operate and then gone to bed.”

To reduce the risk of an electrical fire developing undetected in your property we recommend:

Only using washing machines, tumble driers and dishwashers during the day when someone is at home
Turning electrical appliances off at the wall when they are not in use
Keeping ventilation grills clear
Registering electrical appliances to ensure you are notified of product faults or recalls. This can be done regardless of whether the appliance has been purchased new or second hand.

Joanne added: “While these steps reduce the risk of a fire occurring, working smoke detection provides a quick alert to when something has gone wrong. If a fire is occurring, close the door on the room it is in, exit the property and call 999.”

On average there are 11 electrical fires in the home every day in England.

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